Bara Nocta
by Protege-moi
Summary: Chapter 8: Lilandra has a spy job for the Xmen and Xavier feels that Remy's her man. She sends him to an area of Chandilar where the wrong move could mean his death. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Remy, the X-Men and the Shi'ar Empire all belong to Marvel. They invented them, I'm just using them, and not for profit. Obviously, if it sounds familiar, that's probably 'cause it belongs to Marvel already. Since the story is based on the Shi'ar throne world and I have little to work with, I'm giving the reader my version of the Shi'ar, whether or not it is consistent of Marvel's. Reia is my character, as are many of characters of Bara Nocta. This is my piece of fiction, and whether any of these places, customs, Shi'ar laws, etc exist in the Marvel universe, I know not. Happy reading.**

**Bara Nocta**

Chapter One

She was staring, she new she was, but she couldn't help it. Reia had never seen a human before. Well, she had on the news, on vid-screens and on media pads…In fact, that was probably the only reason why she recognized him as human. Terran, yes, that's what the media called them. But what was a Terran doing on Chandilar? As far as she knew, the Shi'ar hadn't made first contact with Earth's government yet. She knew of the X-Men; was he an X-man? She pondered that thought for a moment, but then rejected it. The X-Men were close to the Majestrix, having aided her many times when the Empire was in peril. No, an X-Man wouldn't be found here, not in these parts. So, why had a Terran just entered this restaurant in the middle of the seediest hemisphere on Chandilar? Reia considered him to be incredibly stupid; obviously he didn't know much about Chandilar if he was in Bara Nocta. Even the police kept their distance from this hemisphere. They only entered it unless they absolutely had to, and usually it ended in their deaths. Bara Nocta was run by the gangs. The Imperial Guards gave up on it a long time ago. The nobles didn't dare show their faces in these parts for fear of being assassinated. Yes, the gangs had power here. Unfortunately, Bara Nocta was one of the "affordable" places to live. The nobles called it "the projects." The small, almost non-existent middle class called it suburbia. Reia called it home.

She continued to watch this stranger from her table in the restaurant. At least this Terran had chosen a safe place to eat…well, safe to Bara Nocta standards. Morbidly fascinated in this Terran's fate, Reia continued to stare as the owner walked over to him. _Trouble_, Reia thought. The gangs didn't take kindly to strangers, especially aliens. _Definitely stupid_.

_Finalement_, Remy thought to himself. He had been standing at the entrance to this restaurant, if you could call it that, for two minutes before any moved in his direction to seat him. He was hungry, and this seemed like the safest place to eat. He didn't like it here. He could tell it was trouble…like the streets of L.A., but ten, no twenty times worse. Despite holding a considerable amount of respect and knowledge of the streets of New Orleans, Remy still felt uneasy here. This was walking into danger.

"Can I help you?" A voice interrupted his thoughts.

_Merde, I knew he was comin' too!_ Remy looked at the man. He had a sickly weight, and his smile revealed a row of yellow rotting teeth. Remy returned the smile, "I'd like a table, please." The man looked at him in surprise. Remy was trying to tone down his Shi'ar from the small bit of the formal dialect he had picked up on various stays at the palace. Perhaps it wasn't toned down enough. Remy tried not to show any apprehension, hoping that he hadn't sounded too pretentious.

"Yes, of course," was the response. The gaunt man appeared not to notice the quality of Remy's Shi'ar. He motioned for Remy to follow and rasped, "Right this way."

Remy let out an internal sigh of relief. _Merci Dieu_, he thought as he looked slightly upwards. He was already a stranger to these parts, and Remy had already figured out that being taken for the wrong kind of stranger was asking for death. When he refocused, he decided to do another scan of the room. To his left, there were three rather large looking Shi'ar sitting in a booth. They were hunched of the table speaking in hushed voices. It was obviously not a conversation meant for public ears. The one in the middle was older by Shi'ar standards, and had a rather large scar that ran from the corner of his lip to his ear. Obviously this part of Chandilar couldn't afford proper medical care. Remy had never seen a scar on a single Shi'ar, other than some of Lilandra's older Generals. He knew their medical technology was highly advanced, but apparently it was expensive. It was then that the scarred man raised a hand to motion silence that Remy noted some rather expensive and gaudy rings adorning all five of his fingers. _Gang leader_, Remy thought to himself.

He passed a table of younger Shi'ar boys. _T'ings don' change much from home, I 'spose._ The boys, well younger Shi'ar males, were acting much like one would expect to see from a group of teenaged gangsters in the Bronx. There was a definite tension between the two sides of the restaurant. Remy could smell it. _Gangs_. Yet, there was this imaginary barrier that ran down the middle of the restaurant that Remy instinctively knew was there as he watched the gaunt man in front of him shoot warning glances to certain tables. This was his restaurant, and no one crossed that line. There was no fighting in this place. Remy new this man had to hold a fair bit of respect in a place like this for an unwritten rule of neutrality to exist in this restaurant, and actually be obeyed by the gangs.

He could feel eyes watching him. He wasn't surprised. _Why not? You're a stranger, an outsider…human. You don' belong 'ere, you know dat homme. O' course dere be eyes on you._ Remy also new that once he wasn't perceived as a threat, he would be monitored, glanced at from time to time. Except for one pair of eyes – they belonged to a girl sitting in clear view of the entrance. She'd been watching him ever since he'd crossed the threshold. Here was nothing malicious about her staring, though. That was just it, she was staring…curious. She'd probably never seen a human before, Remy figured.

"Your table," the man rasped.

"Thank you." Remy sat as the patron handed him a data pad, obviously the menu.

"I hope you know how to read." He started to laugh. The laugh turned into a cough. Remy smiled and took the pad from him.

"I'm sure I'll find something."

The girl was still staring. Ironically enough, Remy's table was only a few paces from hers. Until now, he had pretended not to notice her, but now he decided to look in her direction and offer a smile that said "I know you're starting at me."

_Okay, busted_. Reia broke her stare. She had followed this incredibly stupid Terran with her eyes all the way to his table. She hadn't heard what was said between him and Mar'nan, but she could see a lot of body language. Judging by the smile the Terran gave Mar'nan when he offered the menu, he didn't know the Shi'ar language. _Poor bugger_, she thought. She chided herself for it first, but then proceeded to pick up her drink and walk over to his table. For whatever reason, Reia felt the need to be charitable. As much as her home was Bara Nocta, she didn't condone the way people in these parts conducted themselves. She was not like them; she was going to be civil. He watched her carefully as she took the empty seat at his table. She couldn't read any expression on his face at all. She felt a little awkward, but proceeded to introduce herself.

"Hi, I'm Reia." She offered a small wave. She had no idea if he understood a word she said, but it was worth a shot. To her surprise, she heard him respond.

"Remy." He offered a hand. She took it.

_Okay, so he got the name thing. Pretty basic, I suppose._ She smiled. "You new around here?" _By Shara, Reia! How stupid! Of course he's new around here! He's not even Shi'ar. How school girl. Please let him not know Shi'ar._

"I guess you could say that." Remy let out a small chuckle as he watched her face flush a little. He gathered she hadn't expected him to know Shi'ar, especially from the slowness in her speech when she introduced herself. Her asking if he was new around here…probably school girl nerves. But she wasn't a school girl. Remy could see that she was past the age of majority, but she was still young by Shi'ar standards. "I'll bet you say dat to all the boys."

She blushed even more. He had an accent, which she supposed was only normal. But jeez, his response! Was he being a jerk? Or was he trying to make her feel better for making a stupid comment by making one himself. She decided to change the subject. "See anything interesting on the menu?"

It was a probing question, Remy knew. She was trying to figure out just how much he knew about the Shi'ar and life on Chandilar. "It, um, all looks…interesting." He smiled, "If I knew what dese foods were, dat is…" He paused for a moment. "Per'aps you can recommend somet'in'?"

"The soup's good...creamy marinthot." The blank look on his face prompted her to explain, "It's a starch like vegetable…"

_Sound like potato to me._ He glanced over at her now vacant table. "Is dat what you 'ad?"

She blushed again, "Yeah." She looked at him with new seriousness. "What brings you to Chandilar? Especially Bara Nocta? You know you don't exactly belong here, right? Not to be rude or anything…" _Damn girl, you're babbling!_ But she couldn't help it. He was handsome, even if he wasn't Shi'ar. There was just something about him.

"Um, I'm wantin' to experience Chandilar…de real Chandilar…not what de diplomats would wan' ya' t' see."

_Okay…stupider than I thought._ She smiled, "Well, yes, the politicians definitely don't want to show you this place. They have a hard enough time acknowledging our existence. But honestly…Remy?...you could have picked safer hemispheres…safer hemispheres with normal, common Shi'ar."

"Apparently," he mumbled.

"Are you ready to order?" It was a waitress who had asked the question. She looked at Remy as she asked the question, but then looked at Reia wondering if this…alien…spoke any Shi'ar.

"I'll 'ave what she 'ad," he responded, pointing at Reia, "an' a bottle of water, please."

"Ooh, a polite one," the waitress remarked sarcastically. "One marinthot cream soup coming up." With that she turned and attended to other tables before heading to what Remy could only assume was the kitchen.

Reia watched her go, and looked back over at Remy. For the first time since he walked into the restaurant, she saw something she could read on his face – fatigue. He had closed his eyes and leaned his head back. She watched him as he took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. Then he opened his eyes again. There was something in the red and black, but Reia didn't know what exactly. She assumed they were memories living there, perhaps even ghosts.

His soup came, and instead of examining it as if it were some sort of growth in a lab experiment, the Terran started eating it. She half expected him to be hesitant before eating, the food being foreign to him. _I suppose he's just happy to be eating,_ she thought. And then she said something she couldn't believe herself for.

"So…you have a place to stay?"

Remy was about to put another spoonful of soup into his mouth as she asked her question. Instead, he placed the spoon back in the bowl. He looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. _Dieu femme, que fais-tu?_ He wasn't sure what to make of the question. He didn't get the feeling she was after sex, nor did he get the impression she had any malicious intent behind the question. It seemed perfectly innocent, and her body language seemed to confirm it. But still, he had only spoken five minutes with her, and now she was asking him where he was staying?

His look asked the question for him. Reia elaborated, "Well…rent is absolutely killing me and I've been looking for a roommate for a while…" She kicked herself for playing this next card, despite how true it was, "And it's not the safest being a girl living on her own in these parts." He was still studying here. She guessed he was trying to read her. "Look, I'm just as much putting my neck on the line offering this to you as you might be to take it. I'm a student; I live here because it's what I can afford. For all I know, you could be bad news, but something tells me you're okay. I'm gonna stick with that feeling for whatever crazy reason that only Shara knows."

_Sois attentif, LeBeau_. He knew she had a point, it was better for her to have someone living with her. Him being human, however, made him wonder just how much difference in safety it would afford her. And the reality was he did need a place to stay, and he was sure her offer would be better than whatever they had resembling a motel around here. He sighed. " 'ow much is rent?" _Merde! Pourquoi ai-je fait ça?_

"Nine hundred imperial units per month. Water and power are included - rare in this hemisphere - but everything else is extra…so I'm afraid I don't have a media screen, or anything…"

"So four 'undred an' fifty for me. It's a deal." He knew full well he cut her off and it was rude of him, but he didn't care. He was tired, and the prospect of a stable place to stay was enticing. Plus, Reia was rambling, she was nervous, so he figured he'd give her an excuse to stop talking before she said something embarrassing again.

"That will be six units" the waitress had come back to the table.

Remy reached into his pocket and pulled out a 10 unit note. He placed it on the table and stood up. "Keep de change."

"Right then, shall we?"

* * *

Reia's place was small, but it was clean. The locks on the door met Remy's satisfaction, which allowed him to relax a little. He noticed various text books and what he could only assume to be Shi'ar stationary randomly strewn across the apartment. So she _was_ a student. There was a work uniform of some sort laid across the corner of the sofa, but other than that, Reia kept a tidy place. Reia had moved into the kitchen after taking his coat, but she continued talking to him. "I know it's not much, but it has two bedrooms and a great room area, which is really rare in these parts, too. Probably really small to you, I guess. I mean…I don't know what housing is like for Terrans. Do you want anything to drink?"

"I never did get dat water at de restaurant," Remy replied.

"Right, one water comin' up!" She shouted back. Remy could hear her rummaging around. "Sorry about the mess. If I'd known you were coming, I'd have tidied up a little," she laughed nervously.

"No, it's great," he said. He sat down on the other side of the sofa from the uniform.

She came out of the kitchen with a glass of water and handed it to him. "Merci." He took it gladly. Remy brought the glass to his lips and closed his eyes as the cold spread through his chest into his stomach. It felt good.

"What does that mean? Is it Terran?"

"Sorry?" Remy was pulled out of his repose.

"That word you just said…mesi?" She tried to work her lips around the word, but she couldn't remember exactly how it sounded. "Anyways, what's it mean?"

"It means thank you," he replied, realizing he'd slipped into French without meaning to. _Dieu LeBeau, fais attention!_

"So merci is Terran for thank you." She said the word a little awkwardly, it still being foreign to her.

He chuckled, "Not quite. It's French, _a_ Terran language." He put stress on the "a." She looked at him incredulously. "Uh, dere are many, many Terran languages," he said as he took another sip of water, leaned his head back on the sofa and closed his eyes once more.

"Oh, I see," Reia said. "You're tired. I should show you your room. I have a bed in there for when I have guests; it has all the sheets and everything." She paused and then continued, "Though, you might want to change the décor eventually, it's kind of…girly."

Remy chuckled again, "I'm sure it's jus' fine fo' now."

She kept talking as she showed him to the room. "I have to work in the morning; I'll be gone pretty early, but I should be home around supper time. Feel free to just hang out and get yourself acquainted with the place. The towels are in the hall closet for when you shower, and help yourself to anything you like in the kitchen." She watched him as he put his bag down on the bed and heard him say "thank you." He opened his bag and started rummaging for pajamas, she assumed. "I'll let you sleep. Good night, pleasant dreams."

"Good night," he replied in kind as he watched her close the door. He sighed as he took off his shirt. It had been a long week of space travel and Remy was exhausted. He tossed his shirt onto a chair sitting in one corner of the room. He undid his belt and unbuttoned his jeans. He tossed those on the chair, too. He took in a sharp breath as he pulled his boxer pants on. He sighed heavily as he ran his hand along the right side of his torso to feel a newly formed scar under it. He furrowed his brow and frowned in disgust. It still hurt – a lot. Space travel and fatigue hadn't helped any. Remy looked at the bed. Reia was right, the décor was girly. The bed spread was a floral pattern with pinks, purples, and pastel blues and greens. But he didn't care, not tonight. The bed looked warm. He couldn't be asked to wash up; he didn't have the energy for it. _Je m'en fou. Il faut me coucher._

As he lay in bed waiting for sleep to come, he couldn't help but wonder why he had agreed to this assignment. He should be recuperating in the comfort of his own bed, in New York, on earth, without the stress… He wasn't looking forward to the next few weeks at all.

"C'est de la bêtise, LeBeau," he mumbled to himself as sleep took hold.

* * *

"I WANT TO KNOW WHO HE IS! I want to know everything about him, what planet he's from, what he eats, where he sleeps, and what business he has with Reia!"

Ku'lin watched as his lord paced the length of his office. "My Lord," he uttered, "I don't know that Reia…"

"I don't care!" He snapped. "I want to know why he's here!" Tor'kol had seen his fair share of strangers enter Bara Nocta, but it never really ended well, especially when those strangers were alien, and this one was as alien as they come. Tor'kol had never seen the likes of his kind before, and Bara Nocta was the last place a foreigner should ever find himself. But how would he know about this hemisphere when the politicians liked to deny its existence? Something about this stranger's presence sent Tor'kol's radar off. This was his territory; he knew when things felt out of place. This was one of those times. The precious, yet precarious balance of power that had taken him seven hundred and fifty years to establish over much bloodshed was Tor'kol's main concern. The feeling in his gut told him that this stranger was the harbinger of chaos, perhaps even more war, to Bara Nocta. He watched his lackeys stare up at him. "Well, don't just sit there! Idiots!" They continued to look at him, still in there seats as if glued to them. He leaned over his desk, placing his hands down forcibly. "NOW!"

With that, the three men got to their feet as fast as they could and scrambled to the door. Once the door was shut, Tor'kol sat in his chair and flipped on his vid-screen. The gangs would have to assemble; the balance was at stake.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Remy, the X-Men and the Shi'ar Empire all belong to Marvel. They invented them, I'm just using them, and not for profit. Obviously, if it sounds familiar, that's probably 'cause it belongs to Marvel already. Since the story is based on the Shi'ar throne world and I have little to work with, I'm giving the reader my version of the Shi'ar, whether or not it is consistent of Marvel's. Reia is my character, as are many of characters of Bara Nocta. This is my piece of fiction, and whether any of these places, customs, Shi'ar laws, etc exist in the Marvel universe, I know not. Happy reading.**

Chapter Two

The sunlight broke through the slits of the binds and into Remy's room. He squinted and reached for the small clock by the bedside. It was nearly mid-day. Had he really slept that long? He supposed it wasn't too unreasonable considering the course of events these past few weeks. He leaned up on his elbow and ran his free hand through his hair. _You really should get yourself out o' bed, homme_, he told himself. With that, he threw of the covers before the temptation to lie back down overcame him, sat up, and put his legs over the side of the bed. He put a hand to his torso again, holding it as he stood up. He seemed to hurt more today.

The apartment was empty; Reia was gone just as she said she'd be. It was quiet, calm. Remy half expected to hear sirens and yelling from alleyways, except all he could hear was the hum of electricity. The sun was shining brightly through the kitchen window, or was it two suns? Remy couldn't remember. And the kitchen wasn't as Remy had imagined it to be. Instead of something you would expect to see in a futuristic, technologically advanced world with replicators and the like, the kitchen resembled something akin to Earth's. Remy could identify a stove, refrigeration unit, a pantry…Okay, so he'd be able to fake his way around in the kitchen. _J'ai besoin du café_. But he couldn't find any; this was going to be a problem. _Dieu, I'm goin' t'ave de biggest 'eadache later on_, he told himself as he remembered someone at the Palace telling him once that they'd never heard of caffeine or the likes. _Dommage_. Whether it was more of a shame for him or for the people of Chandilar…Remy couldn't decide.

After giving himself a thorough tour of the kitchen, Remy found himself something for breakfast. It was awful. It probably would have been a good idea to have known what the foods were before just putting them together. Damn, why couldn't Xavier have sent him on an assignment to the Palace? _You know de answer to dat one, homme; you de only X-Man qualified, really._ And he was. Lilandra had called Charles while he was with the X-Men on a joint mission to Mars with NASA. There was an alien species building an outpost there, and they were beginning to pose a significant threat to Earth. Remy had hated every moment of it. He'd always hated space travel. He hated the US government even more; he didn't trust them. That was a fun time…a month on a space shuttle stuck with US government NASA big-wigs you didn't trust. Bobby felt it too. Alex told them they were being silly, that there was nothing to worry about. How wrong was he! The moment the team had landed, the astronaut pulled their guns and shot. Remy winced as he remembered hitting the tarmac. His side remembered it to.

When he woke up in the hospital, Xavier was sitting at his bedside. He remembered thinking,_ Must be bad news. Bobby and Alex must be in bad shape_. Charles was rarely ever at his bedside when Remy was injured at the Institute…so why else would he be here, at his side, in Florida? _Am I dying?_ He was suddenly aware of IVs, oxygen tubing, heart monitor panels…all attached to him. He chided himself later for that thought. Of course he wasn't dying.

"How do you feel, Gambit?" His words sounded distorted; Remy's head was fogged.

"Like shit." He was blunt.

"Robert and Alex are doing fine. Robert was able to regenerate by shifting into ice. Alex has a graze wound amounting only to some minor tissue damage, and is doing well. You, however, seem to have bad luck."

_Oh, Dieu, je meurs!_ "'Ow bad?"

"You were shot three times. One bullet nicked your liver and there was damage to your small intestine, but the doctors expect you to be out of ICU by morning."

_Intensive Care Unit! Merde!_ But Charles didn't give him time to dwell on that very long before speaking again.

"I received a subspace communiqué from Lilandra while you were in Space."

"'Ow's Lil?" What did he care about the Shi'ar right now? He wanted more morphine and his head was really foggy. He was having a hard time concentrating. Plus, the last time he met the Shi'ar was to fight the Phalanx. Come to think of it, the Shi'ar only ever call the X-men to fight.

"She is doing well, but she needs our help."

Remy let out a groan, "Do I look like I'm in fightin' condition?"

A small chuckle escaped Xavier's lips. "She doesn't need us to fight, Gambit."

Remy looked at Xavier, his bald head was a big blur. Remy couldn't focus. He closed his eyes. "Oh?" Was all he had the energy to say.

"How familiar are you with Chandilar's political climate and geographical regions?"

"Not very."

"The let me explain a little," he paused, either not noticing or ignoring Remy's fading attention span. "The Shi'ar have divided the planet into regions which they call hemispheres, North and South. As I'm sure you're aware, the money is in the North."

"Okay," Remy mustered. He just wanted to go back to sleep.

Charles was enjoying giving his lesson too much to really notice. "In the South, there is a district called Bara Nocta."

"Soun's like somet'in' outta Star Wars."

Xavier did not appear to be amused. _Or per'aps he don' know Star Wars._ "Indeed," he responded rather apathetically. Remy wasn't sure if it was in agreement, or just one of the psychiatry 'indeeds' to show that he was listening but really had no clue what Remy was talking about. "Anyhow, Bara Nocta is a very poor region much like you would find in the Bronx. However, I get the impression from Lilandra that it is getting out of control. She does not send anyone there unless she absolutely has to. Its politics are quite internal to the region."

This was hurting Remy's head. "Look, Prof, dis is all interestin' an' all, but can't it wait 'till my 'ead ain't so foggy?"

"I'm afraid it cannot, Gambit." Remy could tell through the haze of drugs that Xavier was furrowing his brow. "This is a matter of utmost importance to Lilandra. You see, the power and influence of Bara Nocta is spreading outside the region into other parts of the hemisphere."

Remy huffed incredulously, "I jus' wanna sleep. Dis…dis Lil's problem, not mine."

Clearing his throat, Xavier moved to a more serious tone of voice. "I am sending you on assignment to Chandilar, Gambit. Lilandra is asking that I send the X-Men to re-establish her authority in Bara Nocta. However, I do not feel that this is an attack force type mission; it's more covert. Given your experience in New Orleans, I believe you to be just the man Lilandra needs."

"Ah bon?" This was a dream; it had to be. Remy coughed and then winced immediately at the pain it brought.

Xavier seemed not to notice. "I have informed the Majestrix of this, and she has already sent transport for you. They are standing by, ready to 'air transfer you to a hospital in New York' as soon as you are out of ICU." He sighed, "I wish you luck, Gambit. However, I am meeting an old friend for dinner, and I am late."

With that, the Professor wheeled himself out of Remy's room before any protest could be made. It seemed the Professor was right, Remy did have bad luck. The next four days were spent in the agony of space travel. As much as Shi'ar technology made space travel a lot more comfortable than what humans were capable of, Remy still hated it. He had just wanted to be curled up in his own bed, on Earth, with the comfort of morphine and a television. In fact, he still wanted that. And Jell-o… Instead, he had spent those four days studying Shi'ar history, law, politics, culture, language…How much of it he actually retained, he didn't know.

Remy's breakfast was now cold, as well as disgusting. He couldn't eat it anymore. As he threw it out, he told himself that he would replace it. He felt bad for wasting it, especially when Reia didn't seem to have an extra cash flow to just throw food away like that. She didn't even have the money to pay for television, or whatever the Shi'ar equivalent of it was. He knew he needed to find one, though. As much as he reviewed from the transport ship's library, he still needed to know what the local and most recent news was for the area. Remy sighed; it looked like he was going to have to go shopping.

* * *

"So, Reia, have you found a roommate yet?" Lai'Nal was trying to strike up a conversation with her best friend of one hundred and thirty six years, but she wasn't paying attention. There was a newspad sitting in front of her, but she wasn't paying attention. In fact, Reia had barely touched her lunch. "Hello? Best friend hailing Reia, do you copy?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry Lai, what did you say?"

"I asked if you'd found a new roommate, yet?"

"You know, I did! Just last night, in fact!" She ruffled her feathers a little bit to keep them from falling over her eyes. She had let them grow a little too long for her liking, but Lai thought they looked good.

Lai'Nal looked at Reia appearing to be a little disappointed, "And you didn't tell me! Girl, we've been on lunch break for half an hour! Tsk."

"Yeah, well, I've got other things on my mind."

"Uh-huh…So what could be more important than telling _me_ about getting a roommate? Is it a he? Is he hot? Common! Tell me!"

Reia leaned closer to Lai'Nal and spoke in a hushed voice, "Promise you won't say anything?" She looked pleadingly at her friend.

Lai'Nal raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Sure, of course, I promise."

"Okay," Reia took in a deep breath. "He's Terran."

"Terran! What? Reia!"

"Shhhh!" Reia put a finger to her lips and went on to chide her friend, "Not so loud!"

"But Reia, we don't know anything about the Terrans! He could be bad news!" She furrowed her brow looking at Reia. She had a school girl grin on her tanned face, which was a little usual for a Shi'ar. Lai'Nal sighed, "Is he cute, at least?" The grin on her friend's face transformed into something wider, and more mischievous.

"Oh yeah." Reia erased the grin off her face as best she could and tried to ease her friend's concern, "He's really nice, you know. Not just to look at, but I mean genuinely nice. He's quiet, though. I think he was tired. I wonder if he's doing okay right know…He's at the apartment already. Should have given him breakfast suggestions, you think? I don't know how well he knows Shi'ar food…"

"Okay, okay! I get the point. Just, as long as you're safe. What does Tor'kol think of all this?" Lai'Nal saw Reia's face frown a little. "He doesn't know? REIA!"

"SHHHHH!"

"But Reia, honestly, what's he gonna think when he finds out? He's not going to take lightly to having a stranger in his parts, especially an alien!" She sighed and looked at her friend empathetically, "Just be careful, kay?"

"I'm fine!"

"Okay. Now finish your lunch, our break is almost over."

As Reia and Lai'Nal were making their way back to the front of the store, Reia stopped in her tracks. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She tugged on Lai'Nal's shirt sleeve, "By Sharra, Lai, look, it's him!" She pointed to the man, clearly out of place, trying to communicate to a store employee with hand motions.

"What's he doing here?"

"It looks like he's shopping." Reia snorted. "You know, people do that here, in a store."

"Oh, don't be a smart ass, Rei, you know what I meant." Lai'Nal slapped Reia's arm lightly and playfully.

"Common, let's go help him out." With that, Reia took hold of Lai'Nal's hand and dragged her over to where Remy and her fellow employee were standing. "Hey, Remy!" She waved a hand. "What brings you here?"

Remy blinked and stared for a moment. "Hi, Reia. I didn' realize dat you work 'ere."

"Uh, yeah," she bit her lip nervously. Then she motioned to Lai'Nal, "This is my best friend Lai'Nal. I was just telling her about you over lunch." She motioned to Remy, "Lai, this is Remy."

"A pleasure," Lai'Nal said flatly as she took Remy's hand. She gave him the once over, studying him. Remy supposed it was the best friend approval thing…After all he would do the same should one of his friends bring a new chick home.

"Pleasure's all mine, chère." He faced Reia, "Per'aps you can 'elp me out. This _homme_ can't figure out what I'm talkin' about. Can't say as I blame him, t'ough." Reia just stared back at him. "On Earth' we call it a TV…television. You can watch shows, movies on it? Um, broadcasted news?"

"OH! A media screen! Yeah, okay, I know what you're talking about. Except, I'm going to have to let Mar'ak help you out, cuz I have to get back to the front; our break was over like five minutes ago."

"Oh, yeh, sure! I don' wan' you gettin' in trouble b'cause o' me."

Reia nodded and started walking to the front of the store with her friend. She turned her head around, "I'll be home in time to make some supper. See you then!"

_Oh, merci Dieu, _Remy thought. At least he could learn what she cooked so he would know what to do. At that moment, he decided that he'd leave her some money for the breakfast he'd wasted instead of buying something completely inedible by mistake. He watched her walk out of sight, and then turned his attention back to the man that was trying to help him. "So, um…a media screen…"


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Remy, the X-Men and the Shi'ar Empire all belong to Marvel. They invented them, I'm just using them, and not for profit. Obviously, if it sounds familiar, that's probably 'cause it belongs to Marvel already. Since the story is based on the Shi'ar throne world and I have little to work with, I'm giving the reader my version of the Shi'ar, whether or not it is consistent of Marvel's. Reia is my character, as are many of characters of Bara Nocta. This is my piece of fiction, and whether any of these places, customs, Shi'ar laws, etc exist in the Marvel universe, I know not. Happy reading.**

Chapter Three

Reia came home to find her new roommate watching the news on his newly purchased media screen. It was a nice addition to the apartment, something Reia had been saving up for, for many years. _A little too nice,_ Reia thought to herself. It would have been one thing if he'd have bought it on the black market, but Reia knew he hadn't. He'd come to the Entertainment Depot, where she held her honest and reasonably paying job, to purchase this media screen. She let out a long whistle, "She's a beauty, that one. Must have put you back a few."

"Mmm, I 'spose so. No worse dan on Earth," he shrugged.

Reia stared at him in disbelief. "One thousand and ninety nine units, not including taxes, and you say you suppose?" She sighed, "That's like two months rent, no more than that!"

"Ouais, je sais."

There was that funny language again. But Reia didn't ask for clarification, instead she raised her eyebrow at him as a funny thought struck her. "Wait a minute," she started, speaking slowly as if she were working this out as she was going. "If you have enough money to just drop eleven hundred units at a store, just like that," she snapped her fingers for effect, "what the heck are you doing living in Bara Nocta?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

Was he blind? "By Shara! Honestly, Remy, have you not noticed what the streets look like? The housing complexes? Not exactly Northern Hemisphere if you know what I mean. What you just did…that was Northern Hemisphere."

He shrugged, "You live nice, you 'ave a nice place, it's clean…"

"I've worked hard for that!" She cut him off. "When I first got this place, I had nothing in it but food, a desk and a bed. And you! You just waltz in here and buy a media screen on a whim!"

"So, I bought a TV…is dat a crime?" He looked back at her with the same seriousness she had on her face.

"Well…well, no. It's just…it's just that it's not normal around these parts."

A small grin crept up on Remy's face, "I'm far from normal, Chère."

"Apparently," she teased. She couldn't help but chuckle, and shake her head in resignation. "So, what are we watching?"

"Jus' the news," he shrugged. "How was work?"

Reia groaned and sank into the couch, laying her head back, "It was long. Too long."

"Work 'as a habit o' being like dat on Earth, too," Remy chuckled. "Seems like a decent job you have, t'ough, oui?"

She turned her head away from the TV to look at Remy, "Yeah, it's one of the better ones for Bara Nocta. I was pretty lucky. It's why I've been able to keep this place. But now that the rent keeps rising…well, it's a good thing I found a roommate." She smiled, "It will help a lot when I go back to school in two months and I won't be working as much." Then it struck her, she'd never asked how long he was planning on staying on Chand'lar. "Wait…how long are you staying for?"

Remy pondered that question for a moment, then shook his head, "I don' know."

"Oh." There was a weird silence afterwards. Reia didn't want to be intrusive and ask if he had a rough guess. She waited for him to say something more, perhaps elaborate a little bit. But he didn't.

"Eh, Reia, I'm going to go and lay down for a bit. You don' mind, no?"

What a funny question to ask. "Of course not. Are you okay, though?" He tried to shrug it off, but Reia could tell there was some sort of façade he was putting up.

"I'm fine, really. Jus' tired from space travel an' de time difference isn't 'elping." Remy handed Reia the remote and pushed himself off the couch. As he neared the hallway to the bedroom, he paused and turned, "Oh, yeah. I was goin' to go for groceries dis afternoon, but den I realized I 'ave no idea what I should buy. Can I jus' leave you some money and let you do de food shoppin'?"

It sounded to Reia as if Remy was having a hard time concentrating on what he was saying. She smiled to placate him. "Sure, Remy, that's fine," she said sweetly. "Now go to sleep."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Remy closed his door and sighed. He was glad for the privacy. Before Reia had come home he had actually been sleeping. _Where did you put dose Tylenol 3's, homme?_ He needed them badly. Before buying the media screen, Remy had spend the better part of the afternoon information gathering. He'd done most of that by sticking to the shadows, as he knew any appearance he would make would cause a stir and blow the whole point of what he was out to do, since he obviously didn't belong.

He grimaced as he took his shirt off. He could still feel the sutures, even though they had been taken out just before he landed on Chandilar. He cursed Xavier under his breath. Damn him, it was way too early for him to be doing this shit. He should, by all rights, still be in hospital. His day in the shadows brought a lot of pain. He wasn't sure if the Tylenol 3 was going to cut it, but the information he was able to get today proved valuable, so Remy surrendered to the day calling it a fair trade.

From what he'd overheard, Bara Nocta was run by three factions or gangs if you could call them that: the Morat'lan, the Caran'thor and the Sel'tarin. The Morat'lan gang, or faction - Remy wasn't sure which to call the as he didn't have enough information on how they operated yet to label them a gang, yet. Plus, Remy knew how much he hated it when someone referred to his guild as a gang – held the most power. They were led by a man called Tor'kol, the man Remy had seen the night before in the restaurant. Bara Nocta was his territory; he controlled its market, its infrastructure, and the local enforcement. It had taken Tor'kol the better part of seven hundred and fifty years to establish his position through what sounded like a pretty gruesome 'gang' war, leaving over 8, 000, 000 Shi'ar dead. In his ascension to power, Tor'kol was able to form a very tenuous peace between the three factions. _Dat's why dere was no fightin' in that restauran' even t'ough de air was t'ick with tension._ He had formed a counsel of leaders, i.e. the three gang leaders and their advisors, to help maintain that peace. However, Remy knew that it was just a way to placate the other gangs – false reassurance that they still had some power. Remy also knew that this 'peace' would only last for so long until the other two factions became dissatisfied and power hungry. Remy was also able to ascertain that his presence was disconcerting to all of the 'gangs', especially to Tor'kol. In fact, the counsel was meeting this evening to discuss his being in Bara Nocta. Remy had half expected this. Well, maybe not even that much. He _had_ expected to be scrutinized; he realized that people would keep a wary watch on him; he knew he'd have to keep it low key for the first little bit. However, he hadn't expected that this counsel would be meeting to discuss him, especially so soon. His Guild training told him that he'd have to find a more legitimate reason to be in Bara Nocta than just 'experiencing the real Chandilar.'

Remy was not very pleased. From all that he'd overheard today, he knew he was going to be here a lot longer than he wanted to be. Lilandra wanted Remy to re-establish her rule in Bara Nocta, but more importantly, she wanted him to stop the spread of Tor'kol's power outside of the region. Remy knew it was going to be a long process and now it just got longer. _C'est un cauchemar_. He decided that he would have to talk to Lilandra soon, except he wasn't sure of how he was going to manage that. He was wary of leaving the district, as his movement was sure to be noticed. The thief was positive that he was being watched, his comings and goings being recorded. But he needed to brief Lilandra. He also wanted to send a message to his father to explain his whereabouts, as he hadn't had the opportunity to do so. For all he knew, his father thought him to still be in hospital. He'd also need to make it clear to the Majestrix that he would need to suspend all contact with her, the X-men or any person not of Bara Nocta until it was safe for him to do so again – if it would ever be. _Merde!_

* * *

Dai'mon was sweating bullets. Tor'kol had called him into his office wanting a preliminary report on their investigations on the Terran. So far he had nothing and Tor'kol would not look kindly on failure. Dai'mon realized his leg was shaking. He looked up at the lady managing the communications relay, wondering if she'd noticed his nervous behavior. _Good_, he thought, _she's not even looking at me._ Dai'mon's heard sank as she looked up, made eye contact with him, and made the best sympathetic smile she could. _Damn_. He would almost prefer the meeting with Tor'kol to the waiting for it. Perhaps this was one of Tor'kol's tactics – have whoever he was meeting sit and wait for him, letting them sit and focus on their anxiety, thus making Tor'kol appear all the more superior for the actual meeting. And if that was indeed the case, it was working.

Dai'mon's thoughts were interrupted as the woman sitting at the communications relay announced that Tor'kol was ready for him now. _Finally!_ Dai'mon tugged at his clothes, smoothed them over with his hands, and took a long, deep breath before opening the door to Tor'kol's office.

When Dai'mon entered, he found Tor'kol sitting behind his desk. His office was dimly lit as the curtains to the long, large windows were drawn, despite the fact that the suns hadn't set yet. Tor'kol's right hand man, Hn'ra, was sitting in a chair to the side of Tor'kol. Hn'ra, Dai'mon thought, was the perfect image of what an enforcer should be. He had a large build, a square face, his jaw tightly clenched. His feathers were slicked back and he wore black – a color reserved for the royal family – the total sum of his profile being quite effectively intimidating. Perhaps that was the idea. Dai'mon folded his hands nervously in front of him.

As Hn'ra kept a steady glare on Dai'mon, Tor'kol raised his head and motioned silently for Dai'mon to sit. He had barely gotten in his seat when Hn'ra asked, "Well!"

Dai'mon looked at Tor'kol respectfully and gave a nervous nod. "Uh, well, uh…unfortunately our investigations have not brought up much so far."

Tor'kol raised an eyebrow, "How so?" His words were slow and calm.

Could the Marat'lan leader tell that Dai'mon was sweating bullets? He cleared his throat, "Er…well, being a Terran, naturally, we didn't expect him to be in any records, which he wasn't, so we still don't have his background."

"We've had Terrans on this planet before," Hn'ra spat.

"Uh, quite correct you are," he responded. "B…but it's the X-men that have been here, y…you know, those people with the Majestrix's consort?"

"And did you check to see if this Terran is an X-man?" The calm, cool delivery of Tor'kol's words was sending shivers down Dai'mon's spine.

"Y…yes, of course that was a given," Dai'mon paused. "However, there wasn't anything on the Terran in the X-men databases." Dai'mon shrugged, "We don't know who he is."

Tor'kol didn't say anything. He was sitting back in his chair, his one hand over his mouth, obviously thinking over what Dai'mon had told him. Dai'mon chose to take the silence as an opportunity to continue his report as he felt the glare of Hn'ra continuing to beat down on him. "We…uh…we do have a reconnaissance team monitoring his movements."

"And?" It was Tor'kol's smooth voice speaking again.

"Um, our team first spotted him entering the Entertainment Depot where Reia works this afternoon. He bought a rather large media screen. We followed him to see where he was bringing it." He looked at Tor'kol, looking for permission to continue. Once he had it, he spoke again, "He took it to Reia's apartment; it looks as though he's living there. He might be her new roommate."

The look on Tor'kol's face was calm and collected, but Dai'mon could tell that this piece of news disturbed his master. He had a soft spot for Reia; he liked her, wanted to protect her. He saw her as pure and uncorrupt, trying to make an honest way in a dishonest society. He had respect for that. And now this alien they knew nothing about was living in her apartment. Dai'mon didn't know whether to take Tor'kol's silence for good or bad. At least he wasn't shouting like a lunatic at the news, but the fact that Tor'kol was mulling over his report for this long was really disconcerting. The air was heavy. Dai'mon began to sweat again.

"Thank you, for telling me this." The words were hollow, calculated, cold. "You will continue your surveillance of this Terran and report your findings to me every thirty-six hours."

Did this mean that Tor'kol was satisfied with his efforts? Was his report sufficient? Would there be hell to pay for not finding out who this alien was? And maybe he should have left the bit about him living with Reia out. No, it was probably for the best that he did inform Tor'kol of it; otherwise Dai'mon would not be in good standing at all if Tor'kol found out from some other source. Yes, he did the right thing, he reassured himself. Then Tor'kol told him that he could leave, and Dai'mon nodded and got out of that office as fast as he could, lest his leader change his mind.

As he walked out of the office building and onto one of the nicer streets in Bara Nocta, he noticed Lai'Nal walking towards the district that Reia lived in. Was she going to Reia's? Probably – weren't they best friends? He wondered if Lai'Nal would know anything about this alien. Dai'mon contemplated jogging and catching up to speak to Lai'Nal about the stranger before she got to where she was going, but then decided against it. He had already had a busy day. It could wait until tomorrow. Besides, if she was in fact going to Reia's, she'd probably know a little more about the Terran by the morning. Yes, Dai'mon would let her go for now.

Instead of following Lai'Nal, Dai'mon watched her turn a corner and disappear. He then turned towards Mar'nan's Diner. There was always hot gossip there, and Dai'mon thought that, after a day's hard work, he deserved to treat himself to a drink.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Lai'Nal could hear the banging from outside Reia's apartment door. She knew her best friend was rummaging around in the kitchen. She'd always been loud in the kitchen, always. It didn't help that she seemed to get anxious about cooking things for other people. It wasn't so bad when people she knew were eating her food, but now she had an alien staying with her. Lai'Nal imagined Reia panicking, being indecisive about what to prepare, and worrying about how the food would turn out, if he would like it… Rolling her eyes at her friend's curious kitchen behavior, Lai'Nal knocked on the door. There was a sudden stop to the banging of pots and pans, and then the sound of feet approaching the door. There was a pause as Lai could see Reia looking through the peep hole before opening the door.

"Who is it?" It was common practice in these parts to ask the identity of the person knocking at your door, even though you could see them. During the wars, factions used image inducers to impersonate friends and family, only to turn on the resident once the door was open.

"Oh common, Rei, it's me, Lai! Sheesh." Lai'Nal rolled her eyes again. She knew it was a safe practice, but it wasn't exactly something she felt she should have to do with her best friend. "Well, you gonna let me in? Or does a girl have to stand out in the hallway forever?"

The door opened, and Lai found her friend a bit unraveled. She was holding a dish towel with both hands, obviously drying them on her way to answer the door. Her feathers were tied back, but there were a few strays hanging out, a few in front of her eyes. Reia huffed in a vain attempt to clear them away from her eyes, but was only successful in making them float up and back down again to the same place they'd been resting before. Reia looked up, as if looking at her feathers, and brushed them back with her hand. "Hi." She seemed breathless. It wasn't much of a surprise to Lai'Nal, though. She'd known Reia forever; she was used to seeing her friend like this.

"Hi," Lai'Nal responded, waving sarcastically. "You know, you really should stop working yourself up over supper. It's just food."

"Y…yeah, but…well…it's just…"

"Common, spit it out."

"Well, I don't know what he eats!" She tilted her head to the hallway that lead to the bedrooms.

Lai'Nal chuckled a little. "I'm sure he expects to be subjected to new and wonderful foods. After all, he'd be a little daft to expect food to be the same here as it is on his homeworld."

"Yeah, I 'spose so."

"So, he's in his room?"

Reia nodded, "Yeah, he's in his room taking a nap. I think he's having trouble adjusting to the time difference. He also said he's pretty tired from traveling."

"Hmmm…"

"What?" Reia knew that look she was getting from her pal; there were wheels turning in her head.

Lai bit her lip, thinking, and then decided to let her best mate in on her thoughts. "Well, Rei, it just…it seems kinda funny, you know? Like, we only know about the Terrans because of our Majestrix's consort. I think it's likewise for the Terrans, and I have this feeling that only a select few of them know about the Shi'ar Empire, cuz wouldn't they have wanted to make First Contact…?"

"What are you getting at?"

"What I'm trying to say is that he shouldn't know about us if he's just an ordinary Terran. And how, in the name of Sharra, did he get here if he's not supposed to know about us?" She paused and wrinkled her forehead a little, "Unless…unless he's not your ordinary Terran." She frowned, "Just be careful, Reia."

Reia shot Lai a glare, "I'm fine!" She said, rather emphatically. "He's fine! You'll see. He's really quite nice." As Reia finished her little eruption, there was a sizzling noise coming from the kitchen. "Shit!" And Reia scurried off towards the kitchen to attend to whatever it was that she was cooking.

Lai'Nal decided to take Reia's absence as an opportunity to sneak of to the guest room and get to know this roommate a little better. She knew she had time, since Reia was concentrated on something and would be completely preoccupied with it until she was finished. Usually, Lai'Nal would just sit and read something while she waited. But today…today she had to interrogate an alien.

The door was closed, and there wasn't any noise coming from within. Okay, so he probably was sleeping, but she was going to wake him anyways; she didn't care; she didn't trust him, not yet. He was up to something, she just knew it, and she felt it her duty to make sure that he wasn't bad news. Lai'Nal proceeded to open the door as quietly as she could to keep Reia from hearing her. She slipped inside the room and silently shut the door behind her. She turned around and leaned against the door, her hand still on the handle. She found the room to be dark; the blinds were closed keeping the minimal amount of dusk light from coming into the room. Once they had adjusted to the dark, her eyes did a scan of the room. They noted an odd looking suitcase on the chair, but it had been emptied. _At least he's tidy_, she thought to herself. There were a few things on the dresser that Lai'Nal didn't recognize, but she figured they were for grooming purposes. Besides, she'd have no way of finding out what they were by looking at them as she had no idea what the writing on these things said. Her eyes drifted to the bed, where the Terran was sleeping. He had draped his clothes on the end of the bed and then the strange wonder came into Lai'Nal's head. I wonder what a Terran body looks like. From what she had seen at the store, his body shape was similar to that of a Shi'ar's.

Lai's heart skipped as the figure under the covers stirred a little. Did he know she was in his room, watching him, studying him? Or was he just readjusting in his sleep? She didn't quite understand why she was afraid to be discovered standing in his room, as she had come to talk to him in the first place. But then, she decided she didn't want to talk to him just yet. Not here. She wanted to confront him at dinner. She didn't care how mad Reia would be at her for it or how impolite it would seem. If this alien was hiding something, she wanted to be able to expose him right in front of Reia. Lai'Nal made an internal sigh of relief as the man in the bed seemed not to have noticed her. She took the opportunity to continue her study. Her eyes went to the man's face. He had been wearing some sort of accessory over his eyes at the store, so she wasn't able to study his features as well. Plus, staring at him there as she was now would have been considered extremely rude. His face was drawn tight, even in his sleep, as if pained. Perhaps he was dreaming. He looked oddly pale, but then again, she didn't know what a Terran's coloring should look like. After all, the Shi'ar were rather pale creatures, themselves. He had a slim face, high cheek bones and what seemed like the beginning of hair growth on his cheeks and chin. That weird hair growth hadn't been there when she saw him at the store, had it? Nevertheless, she had to admit it was attractive. Her eyes moved downwards, his chest was not fully covered by the blankets. He had a set of defined pecs and the amount of bicep she could see was also fairly muscular. _A well toned man¸_ she mused to herself. _Handsome_. She wondered what the rest of him looked like, if the rest of his body was as sculpted as his upper body, but unfortunately the covers hid that from her. He was skinny though, and relatively tall. By his physical appearance, she wouldn't gage him to be threatening. He seemed quite nice when they were introduced, his smile kind. But she wished she could have known what was in his eyes hiding behind the strange accessory he wore. She supposed she would find out soon enough.

Satisfied with her 'snooping' Lai'Nail tip-toed to the door. She prayed silently to Sharra that she wouldn't make any noise to wake the man up. Her hand slowly turned the doorknob; silently, she pulled the door open and slipped through it. After she closed the door behind her just as carefully as she opened it, she stood still for a moment, allowing her heart beat to return to a normal rate. She then sighed a breath of relief. Lai silently made her way to the washroom, just incase Reia had been listening out for her. She ran the tap and washed her hands.

When Lai'Nal returned to the kitchen, she found Reia as she expected to. Her friend's feathers were in even more disarray than before and she was just finishing setting the table. "Can I help with anything?" Lai asked. She knew the answer even before asking, though. Reia was particular about doing everything herself in meal preparation, including setting the table.

"No, thanks, though," Reia responded. She pondered something a minute and cocked her head up from what she was doing. "Do you suppose we should wake Remy up to eat? Or should we let him sleep?"

Lai'Nal pondered this for a minute. She really wanted him up so that she could lay her questions on him. But he was apparently tired from space travel, so it would be polite to let him sleep. And then, she came up with a solution that wouldn't seem rude at all. "I 'spose we should wake him up, otherwise, he's never going to adjust to the time difference."

Reia smiled a bit, her friend had a point. She nodded in agreement. "Perhaps you could go and wake him for me while I finish up in here?"

"With pleasure," Lai responded to the request and set off down the hall again. She found it rather ironic that she was going to his room for a second time, this time with permission to be there. She arrived at the familiar door and knocked on it quietly. She didn't hear anything from inside, so she opened the door a crack and poked her head in. He appeared to still be sleeping. "Uh…Remy?" she said quietly. There was the faintest movement. Had he heard her? "Remy, it's time to eat. Are you getting up to join us?"

The Terran let out a sort of groan and mumbled something in a language she didn't understand, obviously from his homeworld. But she wasn't up for him refusing. "I have no idea what you just said, but I'll take it as a yes." She watched for a reaction. He sighed in acceptance, she supposed. "You have five minutes."

* * *

Remy winced as he finished pulling his sweater over his head. The little sleep had helped, although it didn't seem like long enough. He sighed as he went towards his door. Reia's friend had left his door partly open, allowing the light from the hall to come into his room. It was probably a good thing that she had, otherwise, Remy just may have fallen back asleep with no light coming in his room. He made his way to the washroom and splashed his face with cold water, hoping to clear the fog that had settled in his head from the Tylenol 3's he took. They had helped some; as long as he didn't move, he wasn't in pain. Remy reached for a towel to dry his face. He studied his reflection in the mirror. He thought he saw crow feet near his eyes, and he didn't know whether that was from the stress he was experiencing or from the pain. He was still pale. _You look tired, homme. Tired an' pale. You gon' need to shave soon, too­, _he remarked to himself, as he noted the five o'clock shadow on his face. But he didn't have time right now. Remy was certain that he'd used up the five minutes Reia's friend had given him just mustering up enough will to get out of bed. He was pushing those five minutes rather far and soon he would be approaching the boundaries of rudeness. He took a deep, unsatisfied breath shaking his head, and straightened himself up. 

When he reached the kitchen, he found the two young Shi'ar ladies already sitting at the table. They had been waiting for him to get there before they started eating. _At least table manners seem t' be de same_. "Sorry, ladies," Was all he seemed to be able to muster, as he took a seat as gracefully as he could without giving away his discomfort.

"It's okay, Remy," Reia giggled. There was that school girl quality to her again. "I take a long time to wake up, too." Her smile seemed genuine. She didn't mind.

However, her friend, Lai'Nal, didn't seem too warm. He could also note a mild surprise on her face. She was staring at him, mildly enthralled. It didn't take Remy long to realize that she was trying to figure out what to make of his eyes. _Guess some t'ings don' change from galaxy t'galaxy. _

Instead, he decided to glare back at her, purposefully, as if boring into her. He could see the uneasiness in her posture. _Bon_, he thought,_ let her squirm, den I get de answers I wan'_. He continued to stare at her as Reia spooned some food onto his plate. He could feel the air becoming uncomfortable around them. Now was the time.

"So…you wan' t'tell me what y'were doin' in m'room earlier?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Lai'Nal sat across from this alien stunned. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her palms beginning to sweat. How could he know! He was sound asleep when she was in there. _Shit, he stirred in his sleep; he was awake the whole time!_ Her mind started to panic a little. She could tell that Reia was looking at her incredulously, eyes wide with horror at the behavior of her best friend. But Reia's look isn't what made her squirm, it was his. She now cursed wanting to see what his eyes looked like. She was now staring back at something…demonic. It was the only word she could think of to describe what she saw. The entire surface of his eyes was red, except for a few what seemed like random specs of black splashed on that red background. They had this unnerving glow to them. It was almost as if they were looking right through her. _Keep calm, Lai, stay calm._ Lai'Nal tried to keep her face as neutral as possible.

"What makes you say that?" The first word came out of her mouth a little dry. Was it a waver he would detect? She decided to reach for her glass of water to perhaps offer a reason to her first words. _Will he fall for that?_

The alien arched an eyebrow, looking unimpressed. The look was severe; it cut right into her. _How can anyone do that? Say more with their eyes without even having to use words! _It was starting to give Lai'Nal the creeps. It was as if he was schooled in this type of thing. The thought sent internal shivers down her spine. But perhaps it was just his personality. However, it didn't change the fact that she was becoming more and more suspicious of this man. Lai'Nal's internal panic was interrupted by Reia's voice.

"Well, Lai," Reia's eyes were still full of shock that her friend could have been so rude! "Did you?"

Lai'Nal shot a look back at her friend, "Who are you gonna believe, hey? A guy you've known for about a day, or me, your best friend of how many years!"

The glare from the alien became more intense. "You're avoidin' de question." He paused as Lai cursed to herself. "Usu'lly people who avoid questions 'ave somet'in' t'hide." He paused again. He was probably waiting for her to fess up.

"I have nothing to hide." Would he buy it?

He raised his chin slightly, his look becoming even more severe, his eyes narrowing. "Den why won' y'answer de question?"

He was smart; Lai'Nal had to give him that. But how would he have known she was there? He never opened his eyes the entire time she was in his room. She shook her head. "I have nothing to answer for."

"Fine." The word was hollow.

She couldn't figure out what meaning was behind it. Was he giving up on the issue? He didn't seem mad. No, he was calculated and calm. Why wasn't he mad?

"Jus' don' go in m'room again' wit'out permission. Got it?"

"Well, I don't see what the problem is, because I was never in your room to begin with."

He raised his eyebrow again. He knew she was lying through her teeth. She had definitely been in his room, though she hadn't done much other than stand and stare. Her emotions read like a book. She was suspicious of him. _Smart girl_. She was also panicking. And then she turned the tables on him.

"By Sharra, why be so anal over it? Unless there's something you're hiding in there."

"Not hidin' anyt'in', Chère. It jus' rude t'go nosin' aroun' in someone's private space. Dat is what a bedroom is, no? Private space." He raised an eyebrow at her, daring her to come back with a retort.

"Fine." She said. However, hers was not as effective as his had been. The word was laced with a bit of frustration, and anger. She wasn't winning this game of wits.

The three ate the rest of their meal in awkward silence. It hadn't been Remy's intent in the beginning, but she had been in his room. He knew she hadn't rummaged around. She'd just stood there, studying him. It was rude of her and that was what bothered him most about the whole thing. She was rude. He didn't care how curious or suspicious she was of him; there were politer ways of finding out information on someone. She could be asking him questions, right now, for example. He was sure that she wanted to find out the truth about him so that she knew her friend would be safe. Remy didn't blame her for that; in fact, he respected her for it. But if she really felt the need to expose him, she could be asking him questions right here at the dinner table, in front of Reia. For whatever reason, she wasn't.

In the silence, Remy's thoughts drifted to Earth. He needed badly to get a message to his father. But how was he going to do that? He supposed that once he made contact with Lilandra that he could have her relay a message to his father through the X-men. Or had Xavier already done that? But then, how was he going to get in contact with Lilandra? He knew that if he requested to speak to her as Gambit, he'd be sure to have an audience, but he wasn't at liberty to do so. If he were to be seen leaving the Southern Hemisphere, he may as well end up throwing the whole mission away. He wouldn't be able to return without being crucified by the gang leaders. He new they were watching him already. Then he remembered that the men from the ship had given him a set of what they called tools. _Y'mem'ry gettin' bad, homme_. But he blamed the drugs instead. He searched his mind trying to remember the contents of this tool package. Was there an image inducer inside? He would have to check later on, when this Lai'Nal character wasn't around anymore. Besides, he didn't mind putting it off. He didn't want to use the image inducer unless he absolutely had to.

"Um, Remy?...do you want some dessert?" The voice sounded distant, calling him out of his thoughts.

Remy glanced up at Reia, "Sorry?"

"I asked if you wanted some dessert." Reia studied him. "You okay? You haven't said much all supper. You're not mad at Lai, are you? Cuz I'm sure that if she was in your room she was just curious. 'Prolly wanted to see what you look like. I'm sure she didn't mean any harm."

"I'm fine, chère." He looked at her; he wasn't going to touch the subject of Lai'Nal. He'd already made his point. "Dessert soun's good, yeah?"

Reia smiled at him, "Okay! You're in for a real treat, you know! I made cake. Have you ever had cake? Do you have anything like cake on your homeworld?"

"Oui, I've 'ad cake b'fore." Remy couldn't help but smile; she was rambling again. Did he really make her that nervous?

"Oh! Good! I hope you like my cake, cuz I'm sure it's a little different." She bit her lip. "…Er…I was thinking that maybe we could have our dessert in the great room and watch the media screen?"

"That sounds really nice, Rei, but why are you asking? It's your place."

"Well, Lai, it's not my media screen." Reia and Lai'Nal both looked at Remy expectantly.

Remy chuckled slightly. "Sure, I don' mind. Y'can watch it any time y'wan'; don' 'ave t'ask."

With that, the three took their cake into the great room and found their own place on the couch. Reia turned on the media screen and started to flip through the channels. Something on one of the channel's caught Remy's eye. "Wait, wait, turn it back one, oui?"

Reia complied. The media screen went back to the channel that had Remy's interest. They were looking at an image of what he clearly recognized as Earth from space. He arched his eyebrow, focusing on what sounded like a new cast. Then he saw the first contact message NASA put out in the 60's being played out. At least Remy thought it was the 60's. He shrugged. However dated it was, it was still a rather embarrassing display of humanity.

Reia and Lai'Nal sat, jaws hanging; they held their plates in their hands but were no longer paying attention to their cake. They were too enthralled by the new broadcast. The reporter became the new image on the screen; she was sitting at what looked like an interview set up. Indeed, there was another Shi'ar sitting across from the reporter. Remy had to drop his jaw, now, as he listened to the dialoge:

"So, with me this I have Ambassador Syl'nor, who's probably the Empire's biggest expert on Terrans." The reporter turned to the man. "Now, Ambassador, tell us, this new first contact with the Terran homeworld, do you find it a bit premature? I mean, the message they are broadcasting is rather primitive, is it not?"

The Ambassador shifted in his chair, as if he were about to say something very important. "I believe it is a bit unexpected for us, but not necessarily premature. I think the thing we have to keep in mind about this first contact message the Terran's have is several decades old, and they have made many advances since then. As much as it seems primitive, it gives us some very important basic information about the species."

"Is it true, Ambassador, that our government has known about the Terran's for some time now?"

"Yes, it is. Our Majestrix has called upon the Terran's, a particular group of Terran's called the X-men, who have aided this Empire on a few occasions."

"Ah, yes, the X-men. I believe the population of Chandilar is familiar with the X-men, especially with a particular Charles Xavier. There are rumors that this man is the Majestrix's consort. Is there any validity in this statement?"

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss the affairs of the Royal Family."

"So far, it is against the laws for Nobility to breed out of species. How does the Royal Counsel feel about the Majestrix having an alien lover?"

"Miss Char'nyl, I will not discuss the ongoing of any Noble family."

The reporter didn't seem phased, although the Ambassador was feeling rather agitated with her recent questions. She continued, "These X-men have proven that they will fight for the Empire, can we expect this of the Terran population?"

"Unfortunately, no. The X-men, it seems, are a group of outlaws in the eyes of their governments."

"We've had outlaws fighting for the Empire?"

"Well, according to their governments. You see, the Terran homeworld has a growing population of mutants, those born with supernatural powers. The X-men represent a team of these "mutants." This is not something every human is born with, and it appears that most Terran governments are in a quest to purify the human race of what they consider an abomination."

"Are they dangerous, these mutants?"

"Some are, yes. However, it appears that the X-men fight for a greater good."

"Is that the opinion of the Majestrix?"

"I do not claim to know the Majestrix's position on anything, other than what she has made public knowledge."

"Why would the Majestrix choose to make first contact with the Terrans now?"

"I do not know."

"Well, Ambassador, we're going to go to a commercial break. You're watching Channel 5 News. We'll be back after these announcements with more from our Terran expert."

Reia and Lai'Nal both looked at Remy, wide eyed. Remy could tell Reia was full of questions for him, no doubt about humans, mutants, Charles Xavier, and the silly first contact film they'd been broadcasting.

However, Lai'Nal was looking at him in more of a severe glance. "I knew it! You're a spy!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The words rang in Remy's ears. "You're a spy!" Damnit! Why in God's name was Lilandra making first contact now? Did she forget that she'd sent Remy to the Southern Hemisphere? Or did she not really care that she could be handing him his death sentence with this first contact? Whatever the case was, Remy had to work out some kind of tactic to get out of this new accusation, and fast!

Remy chortled, "A spy, hein?"

"Well, it makes sense! You come, and then our Empire decides to make contact with your planet? That can't just be some kind of coincidence. Plus, you know of know our language, which is odd for someone whose people aren't even a part of our Empire!" Lai'Nal was disgusted. Why, in the name of Sharra, would he be playing dumb?"

"Dere be other reasons why a person would know about y' Empire," Remy retorted.

Lai'Nal spat out, "How?" She was incensed. Now he was being cryptic!

"Y' ever heard of de Starjammers?" It was grasping at straws, Remy knew that much, but it was worth a shot.

Nodding her head slightly in acquiescence, Lai'Nal narrowed her eyes slightly. "Go on…"

_Okay, homme, she's taken the bait, but now can y' reel her in?_

"Corsair, he be Terran, no? But he lives in your Empire, speaks de language, knows y' history, even t'ough m' world doesn't know 'bout yours."

"Okay, so what's your point?" Lai'Nal was getting impatient now. Her best friend was in danger! They both were! Except, Lai'Nal was of the opinion that Reia was a little more naïve than she, which, added to the fact that there was a spy/fugitive/outlaw living in Reia's apartment made Lai'Nal extremely uneasy.

"M'point is dat he's not a spy, no?" For a fleeting instant Remy had thought of claiming membership with the Starjammers, but that seemed like too far of a stretch.

"He's not a spy, I'll grant you that, but he's a FUGITIVE!"

Remy had to admit, her refute did cut with a certain truth. Perhaps it was a good thing that he hadn't claimed to be a part of the outlawed Starjammers, but his current tactic wasn't exactly working, either _Time t' switch gears, homme._

But before Remy could start speaking, Reia piped up, "Okay, look, even if he is a spy, so what?" She could see her friend looking at her with an open jaw. Knowing her best friend, she had a good idea of what was running through her head at the moment. It was probably something like 'Are you _insane?_ Listen to yourself, honestly Reia!' But Reia had a point that she was sure Lai'Nal had never though of.

"Like, really," Reia continued, "Who's he a spy for?" She looked at Remy, who remained silent.

Lai'Nal interjected, "He's not answering you, Reia, because he's probably working for the Government."

Remy sat back and put his cake on the table next to the sofa. It no longer held the same appeal and he really didn't feel like eating it right now. His mind was now running through all the possible outcomes, and how he'd need to play his hand in order to come out on top! But, right now, Reia was defending him. Why? He had no idea, but for the meantime, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. So, Remy decided he would just enjoy the show until his involvement was needed. He, therefore, divided his attention between the fight that was going on between two best friends, and the newscast that had started up again after the commercial break.

The authority on Terrans was now trying to explain the complex structure of Earth's governments. It came as quite a shock to the interviewer that the Terrans were not unified under one government, yet capable of very primitive space technology. Not hearing anything he didn't already know, Remy shifted his attention more to what Lai'Nal and Reia were "discussing."

"So, what if he's working for the government! Big deal!"

"Honestly, Reia, I can't believe I'm hearing this from you! Like, where's your head, girl!"

It seemed to Remy that there was some sort of passion building in Reia, and he watched the two girls now with peaked interest. He forgot about the media screen entirely, for at the moment, Remy was more the expert on Earth than any high ranking Shi'ar.

Reia lowered her voice, so as not to have other tenants of the apartment complex hear the current argument brewing between her and her best friend. Plus, should anyone hear and decide to report it to on of Tor'kol's goon's, all three of them would be in some serious trouble.

Reia took at deep breath, and spoke as softly as she could, while still sounding serious. "Look, Lai, I know you're concerned for my safety, here. If he is a spy, then me letting him stay here is putting my neck on the line. I understand that, Lai, I really do.

"However, this might be a good thing, if you stop to think about it." Reia was speaking in almost a whisper now. "You know, as well as I do that, as much as he looks out for me, Tor'kol is corrupt. He sits in his plush, expensive chair in his richly decorated office, tucked away in his office tower that stands out like nobility among the peasants. He taxes us highly, because he can, and he never puts back into the community, he never gives back to the people!

"Look at us, Lai, we're the lucky one's in this hemisphere. We have enough food to eat, we have a good shelter that doesn't fill with water every time it rains, or isn't overcrowded with people that outnumber what the house can hold! We hold good jobs, honest ones! We're able to go to our studies; we have enough to not be wearing rags. Compared to 90 of the population of the Southern Hemisphere, we're rich, Lai! But we're sitting on the poverty line when it comes to the rest of the Empire. And why? Because Tor'kol and all the other gang leaders who hold some power are greedy. They take, and take, and what have we got to show for it?"

Lai'Nal stared wide-eyed at her friend. It was hard to believe Reia was saying this so passionately. But in reality, Lai'Nal had felt this way for a long time, she'd just never voiced it for fear of being overheard. Maybe Reia wasn't so naïve after all.

Reia paused to take a breath, and then she started again. "And the Majestrix is totally aware that we're in this predicament! Think of the shame; the Empire's Throne World has the most poverty out of any planet that it governs! And it's not like she hasn't tried to change it!

"The north sends in provisions, and the gangs intercept it. They never reach the public! We get medical teams and supplies sent over the border, and what does Tor'kol do? He keeps them for himself, if he doesn't kill them first. Sharra forbid we ever get sick…oh…wait…we do…and unless we have the money to pay for it, we suffer. And, Lai, you know as well as I do that it happens a lot!

"And when the Government sends any kind of authority down to try and work things out, Tor'Kol makes sure of their death!

"So, now, you're going to get all upset because the Majestrix is turning to espionage? Can you really blame her?"

Lai'Nal was silent for a moment as she considered Reia's words. Should anyone have overheard them, she knew their lives could be in the gravest of dangers. But, on the other hand, if Reia was right, this could mean hope. The rest of the Empire experienced wealth that the residents of Bara Nocta could only dream of. Perhaps the reign of terror would end. But could one man bring down an entire hemisphere? Lai'Nal studied the alien in front of her. He looked a little pale, and he certainly had reason to be. If she could figure him out, certainly Tor'kol would not be so blind. Looking at the Terran, Lai'Nal had the distinct impression that he had similar thoughts running through his head.

Instead of jumping up to agree with Reia's words, Remy was dumbfounded. And thankful! For the moment, he was quite content to listen to the two women to reason his presence with each other. However, there was a large part of his gut telling him to tell the truth. Remy had learned long ago that his gut had an annoying habit of being right. Taking a deep breath and standing up, Remy stared Reia in the eyes then Lai'Nal.

"Y' both are right." He said the words as calmly and neutrally as he could manage. Remy held his breath; he wasn't sure of the reaction he'd get from either of them.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Charles Xavier picked up the remote and flicked off the TV. He couldn't help but feel an incredible sense of disappointment as he returned the remote to its resting place on the coffee table. Several X-Men gathered in the common room to take in the news reports being broadcast on pretty much every channel. Charles didn't have to scan the room telepathically to gauge the reactions of his X-Men. A lot of them were so completely taken aback by the current events that their emotions were ruling them. Thoughts of shock and unease were being blatantly projected and Charles was unable to ignore them.

The unexpected nature of First Contact from the Shi'ar still lingered in the air, though their other world allies had announced their existence to Earth a little over twelve hours ago.

"You'd think we'd at least get a 'Hey guys, I'm gonna be in the neighbourhood,'" Bobby commented.

"I second that frustration, Bobby," Hank replied. "I, too, am feeling a tad miffed at the lack of warning given, considering the numerous times we've aided her causes."

"Fair is fair," Logan growled from the corner of the room.

"I believe Logan to be correct," Ororo responded. "It would only have been polite."

"I am certain she has her reasons for not saying anything," Charles countered. However, he wasn't sure if it was to convince the X-men or himself.

"Am Ah tha' only one who thinks this is a little strange foh a lady who's usually the perfect example of manners?"

"No, Rogue," Xavier replied. "It is very odd for Lilandra to ignore any form of Politess. As much as I do not fully understand Shi'ar social graces, I have to admit to feeling…_snubbed_."

His use of a more colloquial word earned Xavier a raised eyebrow from Scott, but Scott remained silent as he had all day long. Charles resisted the urge to pry into Scott's mind for some inkling as to what he was thinking, but he knew that in time the X-Men's leader would speak up after thoroughly thinking things through.

"Have you been able to make contact with the Flag Ship, Charles?"

"No, Storm, I have not." He desperately whished he could talk to Lilandra and find out the reason for all of this! "I tried earlier to make telepathic contact with her, but she effectively waved me off and has been ignoring me since."

"Maybe we should try sendin' a message to the ship," Sam proposed.

"It's too dangerous," Scott shook his head, finally speaking up. "If our signal was intercepted, we'd have a lot of very powerful people asking a lot of uncomfortable questions."

"Yeah, an' we already got enough problems with hate groups an' government as it is. We don't need more media attention than we already got," Logan added.

"Logan's right," Scott said. "We can't let on that we have prior knowledge of the Shi'ar or that we have access to their technology. It would compromise the school's anonymity."

"Uh, guys…" Bobby interrupted. "I hate to change the subject, but I think we should maybe talk about the more recent take on the news."

All eyes focused on Bobby.

"What do you mean, Robert?"

"Well, Ro, it sends shivers down my spine when I think about America declaring war on the Shi'ar."

The X-Men had been following the news broadcasts around the clock and were all disgusted and horrified by what they saw. The United States government was urging the world to see these aliens as a threat. It wasn't so out of the question to assume many of their allies would follow suit, and join with the American train of thought. As much as Charles loved his country, he was quite discouraged by its decisions. American news agencies were already hypothesizing defensive military strategies, and trying to predict what the Pentagon's logical course of action would be.

"I have images of _Independence Day_ floating through my head, but this time it doesn't look so pretty for earth," Bobby added.

"I have to agree," Ororo said. "Those images are less than encouraging, as much as they are apt."

Having seen the film, Charles could only nod his head in agreement.

"The Shi'ar do have superior technology and firepower to that of Earth's." This time it was Bishop who spoke. "I guess even in this time stream we're still stuck with xenophobic policies created by scared idiots."

"Even though Lilandra has a soft spot for the X-Men, does that extend to our planet? I mean, if push comes to shove and Earth becomes hostile towards the Shi'ar, I'm betting her Empire comes first regardless of what the X-Men have done for her." Jean's comment finally voiced the unspoken fear.

"Yeah, an' it's not as if y'all can go runnin' t' Langley wavin' a white flag foh the Shi'ar folk."

"Too right, Rogue," Scott agreed. "They would want some kind of proof for a claim like that."

"That puts us right back to the issue of having prior knowledge of an alien race." Ororo stated plainly."Are we willing to admit that we have had contact with extra-terrestrial life and kept this knowledge from government agencies?

"As much as I would like to see a peaceful existence between the Shi'ar and Earth, I do not see how we can safely reveal what we know to the Military."

"The risk to our security it too great," Bishop concurred.

There was an uncomfortable silence that settled over the common room. There was one common thought that was blaring at Charles: if Earth went to war Earth would loose, and this time the X-Men seemed powerless to prevent it.

"Well, I knew she'd do it one day, but I guess I never really expected it to happen this soon," Logan admitted, getting up from his spot. He made a motion towards the kitchen, an empty bottle of Molson's Export in hand.

However, just before Logan crossed the threshold of the room, he turned around and looked at the Professor. "So, Chuck, did Lil' send any word on how she intends to keep Gumbo outta this mess she just created for him?"

Charles was immediately hit by a wave of guilt and concern. The X-Men were all aware of Remy's assignment, but none had heard any word from their resident Cajun thief since he'd landed on Chandilar.

"As of a few days ago, Lilandra still hadn't heard any word from Gambit, though she did not seem too surprised by that. She had an inkling that he would have to 'go dark' very early on.

"Unfortunately, as I stated before, I haven't heard from Lilandra since." Charles paused, wrinkling his brow. "Had I known she was planning this, I would have insisted Remy be removed from his assignment." He couldn't ignore the looks of worry he received from Ororo and Rogue, but he had no reassurances to give to them.

"He's gotten himself out of many hairy situations before; Gambit can take care of himself," Scott stated coolly, his arms crossed. Charles was well aware that Scott did not harbour much concern for Gambit, nor was he emotionally attached to the man. It did not surprise Charles that Scott would prefer to waste little time discussing Remy's safety. This emotionless reassurance was all the team was going to get from him.

"Maybe so, Cyke," Logan shrugged. "But then again, he's never been an alien in the worst Bronx you can imagine on a planet he ain't 'sposed t' know about. An' then Chandilar goes an' makes First Contact with his home world. Not to mention, Gumbo's injured." Logan paused and shook his head. Charles could only assume that he was giving Scott time process the implications; however, Logan continued to drive the point home.

"I don't know that too many o' the territorial thugs we've been told 'bout, especially tha' smart ones, 're gonna find it just a mere coincidence that he's there." With that, Logan started towards the kitchen again.

"In my experience, Fearless, they ain't gonna be too happy 'bout this."

* * *

Tor'kol was irritated. All of those who worked near him knew he hated interruptions, especially ones he did not ask for. Regardless, Dai'mon, the man he'd sent to gather intelligence on this unwelcome Terran, was in front of him, seemingly out of breath. Tor'kol narrowed his eyes at the figure in front of him.

"This had better be _extremely_ important," he sneered. "Your thirty six hours are far from complete and I am rather busy at the moment."

Tor'kol was in another council meeting to discuss this Terran immigrant. He had left instructions that his council was not to be disturbed unless the building was on fire or there was some other catastrophe in progress. However, Tor'kol did not smell even the faintest trace of smoke. The grip on his patience was growing weaker, so he continued his severe glare at the incompetent Shi'ar in front of him.

"Sir, I'm terribly sorry to interrupt; I know how much you don't apprecia…"

"Out with it," he said to Dai'mon.

"Yes, sir," he replied and began speaking rapidly. This was not usual for Dai'mon, as he was rather chicken-shit when it came to talking to Tor'kol; however, Tor'kol appreciated not having to pry answers out of him this time around.

"You'd better turn on the news. Chandilar has just made first contact with the Terrans! It's got to be more than a coincidence!"

For the first few moments after the proclamation Tor'kol said nothing.

"Hmm," it was the first sound Tor'kol made. He brought his fingers to his lips as he pursed them. "This does not bode well for our Terran _friend_."

Dai'mon remained silent. _He knows better, _Tor'kol thought to himself. And he preferred the silence. No one spoke unless they were asked to do so.

"Very well, Dai'mon, you have proven to bring news worthy of disrupting this council."

Dai'mon nodded his head quickly in acknowledgement, but Tor'kol gave it little attention. He was now barking out orders to those around him.

"I want him brought in. He has a lot to explain for! Do we have any new surveillance info on him?"

"Sir, we will give the request for whatever info the field agents have, reported or not," a rather large, scary looking goon said.

"Good. Now tell the girl outside to send in the news feed to our conference room media screens." Tor'kol folded his lanky hands on his lap after pushing his chair back and crossing his legs.

"Let's see what Terra is all about," Tor'kol's lips formed a sadistic grin. "Maybe it will give us a little insight into our visitor's purpose in my realm." His grin took on a supremely satisfied look.

He didn't appreciate strangers in his territory, especially strangers who came under ambiguous circumstances. His tolerance for them was almost non-existent, as trouble seemed to almost always follow behind them. So, this alien was about to receive a lesson in what happened when Tor'kol's tolerance was exceeded.

The only thing stopping Tor'kol's grin now were his ears.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Reia jumped out of her chair, startled by the alert from her communications console.

She slowly brought her train of thought back to the present as she moved towards her communications console. The night really had been full of such fantastic revelations, especially now with a new world being brought into the Empire. Her roommate's home world! And her roommate - a spy! From the Majestrix herself!

Despite Remy's assurances, however, Reia's best friend had her reservations. And as much as Lai'Nal had to agree with the points Reia raised, there had been some definite unease towards the Terran that seemed to pour out of Lai's countenance all night long. The way she had questioned Remy had been like an interrogation of sorts! Reia honestly didn't know what to think.

Remy had been honest with her and Lai'Nal, or at least Reia believed he had been honest. Lai'Nal had been very persistent in voicing the fact that she, for one, wasn't going to trust anything from the mouth of a spy, sent by the Majestrix or not! Her point, however paranoid it might be, was a valid one. He could have just been feeding them a load of crock, feigning truth, all in the name of fabricating his cover.

Reia sighed as she opened her end of the transmission to accept the call. As much as she couldn't ignore her friend's concerns, she liked the guy. He definitely was nice to look at, Shi'ar or not. But besides that, he had a generally amiable something about him. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Yes, hello?" It was time to find out who would be calling so late.

"Reia," it was Tor'kol. "How are you this evening?"

Her heart started the thud loudly in her chest and she desperately hoped that its sound couldn't be heard on the other end of the transmission. She sent a silent prayer to whatever god was listening that this was an audio transmission, only. Reia had never been good at hiding her body language. She was fairly certain she knew why he was calling.

"Oh, I'm alright, thanks, Tor'kol," Reia tried to sound like her normal cheery self without over doing it. "How have you been? You haven't called in to check on me in a while." She figured she'd make conversation. Perhaps her voice wouldn't betray her unease that way.

"I know." There was no apology and Reia didn't expect one from a man like him. "Dai'mon tells me you found a new roommate."

_He's fishing,_ she thought to herself. _Play it smart, Rei. Don't get yourself into trouble with him. _

She bit her lip and her heart took up a faster tempo. "You know how I hate Dai'mon lingering around," she pleaded. Reia tried to sound disappointed and frustrated. It wasn't hard given the history she had with this particular goon. That and she could use it to try and misdirect him.

_Maybe. But his like for your innocence will only get you so far..._

"I've put him in charge of the surveillance of your apartment complex."

"Oh…" Tor'kol didn't sound like he was in a good mood. Tonight would not be a good night to test his…soft side. But it didn't change the fact that she was uncomfortable with Dai'mon being around.

Originally, Tor'kol had 'promised' to keep Dai'mon away from her. He had not been impressed to learn that she had a stalker all because the first date hadn't worked out.

"He just gives me the creeps, is all," she said, meekly. Reia knew she'd be testing the waters too much if she protested any further.

"It is necessary, young lady." The words were stated simply. "…especially since you have decided to keep an alien for a roommate."

Why did all the scary men have to be so…insensitive? She didn't like this arrangement one bit, but unless Dai'mon did something to screw up, she'd have to put up and shut up.

Obviously reading Reia's resignation, Tor'kol continued. "So, tell me about this Terran."

_Shit! Is he onto Remy? What do I say?_ "Well, he is rather handsome…" She let her voice trail off dreamily. _Wrong move, Reia. Supid move. He's going to filet, you, too, if you're not careful._

She heard Tor'kol cluck his tongue on the other end. "He isn't even Shi'ar, Reia."

"Oh, I know, but that doesn't mean a girl can't appreciate beauty when she sees it." _Would you like a shovel to dig that hole a little deeper, girl?_

"Has he mentioned what his purpose here is, exactly?"

_Okay, calm down, Reia, calm down. You can answer this one, no problems._ "Honestly, I don't even think he knows." It wasn't far from the truth. Actually, his answer had been rather vague when she'd asked him, even though he'd been forced to elaborate, tonight.

"Do you know how long he is intending to stay in my domain?"

"No," she sighed, sobering up. "I asked him that earlier on today, but he said he didn't know." At least honesty wasn't shedding any important information.

"I see." Reia could envision his fingers curled around his chin. "Chandilar made First Contact with his home world, today. Are you aware of this Reia?"

"Yes. We saw the news broadcast."

"I thought you did not own a media screen."

There was no harm in telling him it was Remy's new purchase. Besides, this was a test. She knew Tor'kol already knew, but wanted to gauge just how much Reia was going to hide from him. She also knew that should Tor'kol discover she was hiding information from him, she could kiss whatever affection the man had for her goodbye.

"No, it's not mine." She shook her head, forgetting there was no visual. "Remy came by the store today and picked one up."

"Tell me, how did a man who's just arrived to this kind of area have that much money to spend?"

"I don't know, he hasn't said anything, and I didn't ask."

"You should have. You should know who is living with you, what he is about, if he is a danger to you, or not."

"I know. I was brash."

"And because you were, I had no choice but to send my men in."

_Asshole!_ She remained silent. _Cool it, girl, or you're going to get yourself in trouble._

"What is the Terran doing now?"

"He's sleeping."

"How convenient."

"I think he's space lagged."

"Very well, we will continue this conversation another time."

Reia knew it was pointless to even say goodbye. The click on the other end came faster than she'd have been able to utter any sound.

_Great. Just great._­­­­­­­­­

* * *

Light shone through the slits in the blinds again as Remy opened his eyes. A sense of déjà-vu seemed to settle over him. This was exactly what he'd woken up to yesterday. He grinned slightly. Yesterday wasn't a bad day, but he was acutely aware of how sore yesterday's information gathering stint had made him. Remy groaned and rolled onto his side.

He could afford to snooze. _Plus, y' be recuperating, homme._ Today was definitely a day for relaxing. Lilandra's information gathering could wait, and perhaps a day of lying low would do well for him. But on the other hand, with First Contact, not showing his face might make it look like he was hiding.

_Why y' got t' t'ink so much, hein?_ Remy let out a small sigh of frustration. He was awake, now.

_Merde, getting out o' bed be jus' as hard as yesterday._ Dismayed, he went over to his belongings, which he had yet to unpack fully, in search of more pain killers. He frowned, noting only a handful of pills at the bottom of the bottle. He was going to run out far too soon.

Heedless of the prescription dilemma, Remy dry swallowed two Tylenol 3's and marched off to the shower. Perhaps some steam would help soothe his muscles while the Codeine took its time to kick in. Not that he enjoyed the fatigue and grogginess that accompanied a codeine high, but right now, all he was after was pain relief. Besides, being drugged didn't matter much as he fully intended to go back to bed and rest for the remainder of the day. But frustration seemed to abound. _Dis not y' day, LeBeau. _

He found himself looking at what he thought was a faucet and realized he had absolutely no clue as to how to turn it on. Trying desperately to remember the last time he took a shower on Chandilar, Remy examined the device a little more. No, this did not resemble anything he'd seen before.

_Trial by fire._ Shaking his head, he fiddled with the unit until water started running, and steam vapors could be seen forming. _Grâce à dieu!_

The water felt good as it ran over his body, the warmth hugging his muscles. Remy wanted to stand under that showerhead forever, but he didn't know what the cost of water was here so he figured he'd better cut it short and use just enough to get clean. He just had to ignore his muscles screaming at him for more when he turned off the water and reached for his towel.

Remy started to dry himself off when something not quite right caught him off guard. Silently, he wrapped his towel around his waist and stood as still as he could. A shadow crossed the gap at the bottom of the door. It moved quickly and silently.

Why hadn't he noticed the movement? Remy pushed his powers outward, trying to sense what was out there. His mind screamed at him, as he pushed through the fog from the codeine that was starting to hit him.

There were three men outside the bathroom, waiting. Their stances were ready for action, but Remy couldn't tell if they were armed or not. They had also stopped moving, which did not help matters, any.

Remy sighed. There was no window in the bathroom. No duct. Just the door. He was effectively trapped. Sighing, Remy looked down at the towel covering the lower half of his body, considering his options.

_Y' better know what y' doin'._ He took one last glance in the mirror before opening the door.

"Hold your hands where we can see them, Terran!"

Remy could hear the whine of energy weapons powering up. Deciding that these men were not here for a friendly heart to heart, he complied, raising his hands up.

"You t'ink y' could let a man get dressed?"

"Oh look, a wise guy." one goon commented to the other two.

"Alright, then, move it," another said, motioning for Remy to start walking. As he complied he shoved the muzzle of his weapon in the small of Remy's back.

_Dis really ain't y' day._ Groggily, the usually graceful thief made an effort to put one assured foot in front of the other. The painkillers were really starting to kick in now, not aided by his body's physical fatigue.

"Hurry up." The goon followed Remy into the room. Apparently, he would not be given the decency of dressing in privacy. He didn't complain, however. Instead, he grabbed his clothes and turned his back towards the accompanying guard. Every nerve in his body screamed at him, urging him to sit down on the bed while doing this, but he didn't want to show any weakness.

"You're done." It was more like a command than an observation, so Remy started to move toward the door.

He didn't quite make it to the threshold when the two other men entered. The butt of an energy rifle made contact with Remy's gut.

"Ungh." Remy's torso burned with pain and he hunched over a bit, but he was able to stay on his feet.

_Either I be getting' slow, or dese hommes be fast._

Before he could regain his composure, the rifle hit him squarely between the shoulder blades, effectively knocking him too the ground.

"Get up," one spat. "Tor'kol does not like to be kept waiting."

Rather than letting Remy get up on his own accord, two strong arms grabbed him under the armpits hauling him to his feet, while the third goon bound his hands behind him and covered his head with a cloth bag. The smell of mothballs assaulted his senses and Remy made a face, disgusted. The pain in his gut combined with the smell was making him incredibly nauseous.

_Oh, c'mon, knock me out! You know you wan' to, _he pleaded silently. His injuries were now pounding from the assault, causing him to see stars. Trying to walk was now an incredibly difficult feat. _Mebe y' should jus' pass out, LeBeau._

As if God was listening, Remy's world went blank.

* * *

"Good, you're awake."

_I'm really beginnin' t' hate wakin' up_.

_At least de drug's ain' out o' y' system, yet. Y' haven't been out dat long._ He tried to clear his head from the codeine he'd ingested earlier. Remy needed to figure out a way to manipulate the situation to his favour.

However, that was probably not going to be an easy feat. Remy was securely fastened to a plain metal chair. His hands were in manacles behind his back, and there was some sort of collar fastened to his neck, attached to a chain leading to somewhere. He could still move his head and his upper body, at least. His legs were bound together and he could feel sturdy restraints across much of his lap. He wasn't going anywhere.

_Y' powers are still active…_ But Remy quickly tucked away thoughts of using his powers. They would cause destruction to this room. Given the way he was bound, he might also harm himself.

Studying his surroundings, Remy found himself in a rather barren, gray room. He noted the floor to be concrete. The whole foundation was probably constructed of concrete. The walls had been panelled with a metal he did not recognize. To the right of him there was an ordinary table with two just as ordinary chairs. A goon stood behind the table, arms crossed, leaning against the wall. To his left - nothing. No windows, no ventilation ducts that he could see. There was no escape route, save for the door directly ahead of him, but that passage was blocked by the same gauntly framed man he'd seen in the restaurant his first day on Chandilar. The man, Remy remarked, dressed impeccably. He sipped some sort of beverage, as if he were in some sort of civilized parlour gathering between wealthy gentlemen.

_All he needs now is a cigar._

The other man's gaze locked onto Remy's figure. His composure spoke of authority, and Remy was now certain that this was the Morat'lan leader, Tor'kol.

"Let me make one thing clear, Terran. I do not tolerate games. You can make this as painful or as painless as you want it to be." Tor'kol stripped off his jacket, handed it to the goon near the table, and proceeded to roll up his sleeves.

The other man's words rang as if they'd been said through a megaphone right by his ear. _Oh great, y' got a headache now, too._ However, Remy knew it was probably just part of the mental congestion the Tylenol 3's were providing. _Dis gon' be fun._

Remy decided to nod, once.

"Who are you?" The question was simple enough.

"Name's Remy."

"Do you know who I am?"

"I 'ave a fair idea."

"Do you, now?"

But Remy decided not to dignify him with a response.

"Why are you in my domain?"

"I 'aven't really figured dat out yet." His answer earned Remy a slap across the face.

_Merde._

"I'll ask you one more time, why are you here?"

"It seemed like a good idea at de time. Now, I'm not so sure." This time, Remy felt Tor'kol's fist meet his gut. Remy's previous injuries screamed with pain. He hunched over in an effort to lessen the growing discomfort in his midsection. There was the distinct taste of bile in his mouth. The response, he feared was more than it should have been. Would it give away a weakness? Remy was sure Tor'kol noticed, but the Shi'ar made no indication that he had.

"You think you're funny?"

"Non." He was barely able to force enough air out of his lungs to give sound to the word.

But, before Tor'kol could continue with his 'questioning,' he was distracted by the man who had been standing by the table. But the goon was making his way towards Tor'kol, touching his ear and nodding. Remy assumed he was using some sort of communications system. He silently cursed himself, as he had completely forgotten the man was there.

"My Lord, General Arkaan is here to see you."

There was an undoubtedly annoyed look on Tor'kol's face. "Very well, you may tell the General that I will be there in a few moments."

"Yes, My Lord." The goon paused, perhaps deciding if it was wise to say anything more, but in the end, he opened his mouth again. "However, I did not get the impression he is willing to wait."

Tor'kol moved away from Remy, and smoothed out the crinkles in his sleeves formed during his questioning. He reached out an expectant hand and the goon placed his jacket in it. Instead of donning it, he simply draped it over his arm. Then Tor'kol rotated his neck eliciting three loud cracks. The sound made Remy cringe.

The door opened to reveal a formidable looking Shi'ar standing on the other side of the threshold. It was obviously the General; Remy could tell by his dress and military paraphernalia. A wave of panic overcame Remy when the Arkaan's eyes settled upon him and narrowed.

_I know dat face…but from where?_

However, Tor'kol closed the door behind him, and Remy was unable to study the other figure further. Instead, Remy closed his eyes and tried to listen to the conversation going on outside the room.

_Must be soundproof._

His mind raced with all sorts of possibilities, the foremost being that his cover was probably about to be blown. If he recognized the General, chances were, Arkaan recognized him. But what was Arkaan doing here? And why was he associating with Tor'kol? Surely he didn't have any authority here; this was Tor'kol's territory where the military feared to tread.

_Wait, Tor'kol complied with Arkaan's summons.._.

Remy closed his eyes again, wincing. He couldn't seem to focus enough to put any sort of coherent theory together. The pain in his torso was making him nauseas, and the Tylenol 3 now seemed completely inadequate for pain control, though the codeine buzz was ever present. Unconsciousness seemed to tug at him, urging him to slip into the painless black, again.

_Ungh._

Tor'kol slapped Remy across the face with the back of his hand, forcing Remy to arch his neck back. Now his head and his gut were throbbing, and the world seemed as if it were floating. Then, Tor'kol grabbed a handful of his shirt to pull Remy close to him, jolting Remy into alertness. Tor'kol's face was so close that Remy could feel the heat of Tor'kol's breath. He fought desperately not to turn his head away.

"One more time, tell me what you're doing in my domain, _X-Man_!" The words were laced with vehemence, but Tor'kol's voice was not raised.

A hard knot formed in Remy's stomach. _X-Man? Le bon Dieu, aidez-moi!_

"M' not an X-Man."

Again, Tor'kol struck Remy's midsection.

_Fils de poutin!_

The impact forced the air from Remy's diaphragm and he desperately wish he could curl into a ball. He succumbed to a fit of coughing in efforts to get his breath back.

Tor'kol was right in Remy's face again, re-establishing his hold on Remy's shirt. "I have it on good authority you are."

"Was. 'M not, anymore," he choked out.

"Was?" The answer had obviously taken Tor'kol offguard, as the grip on Remy's shirt lessened a little and Tor'kol put a little distance between them. Perhaps he had expected Remy to deny it outright.

"What do you mean 'was?'"

_Wish I knew!_ But he was improvising, and improvisation said to fall back on old roots.

He shrugged as nonchalantly as possible with his wrist bound behind him. "Turned out I'm not X-Men material, is all."

"Do not sass me, Terran." It was a warning, but Tor'kol's body language told Remy that he had his attention as he fully released his hold on Remy's shirt.

"Look, de X-Men is full of idealistic law abiding crime fighters. Dey have dis delusion dat their ethics are de only way. I didn't exactly fit in. It got me not'in' but heat from most o' dem, so I split. Was tired o' bein' treated like shit."

"And just why, exactly, did you not fit in?"

_Aha, I got him._ "Dey don't approve o' my profession."

"Don't dance around the point."

Remy sighed. "I'm a professional thief. They didn't like dat I wouldn't give it up t' be and X-Man." He tried to feign a scoff. "Don't think dey miss me much."

"Why did you come here?"

"Why not?"

"You're walking a thin line…" Remy could see him bringing his arm back, getting ready to strike.

However, Remy couldn't help but grin. He'd gotten under this man's skin and for whatever reason he found satisfaction in it.

"I'm serious. Why not? It's a new start in a new place where no one knows me."

"There's a Northern Hemisphere which you will find much more comfortable." Tor'kol relaxed his arm.

Remy frowned, giving Tor'kol a tired look. "I'm on de outs wit' de X-Men. De X-Men are Chandilar's allies, not me." He shook his head. "Don't know dat I would be welcome up dere."

Tor'kol raised a speculative brow at Remy. "You expect me to believe this from a man who buried _our _dead?"

_Merde! Dat's where I know dat man from!_ The realisation hit Remy in a flood. The night after their victory over the Phalanx, when everyone else was celebrating, it was General Arkaan who had found Remy burying the Shi'ar dead. Tor'kol had effectively taken back the upper hand. _Dis gon' get hairy unless you're willin' t' open up, LeBeau._

"I made some mistakes a while back," he admitted. "I thought it might serve as some sort o' penance."

"And…?"

He turned his head away. "I was wrong."

It was obvious that Tor'kol wasn't quite sure of what to do with this revelation. He stood back and ruffled a hand through his feathers, giving Remy an appraising look. As if remembering he had a drink started, Tor'kol sought it out and took the last swigs of it in one gulp.

After several long moments of silence, Tor'kol finally spoke.

"It seems, Terran, there is more to you than I thought."

_What de hell is dat supposed t' mean?_ But Remy didn't voice that thought.

"A thief, you say?"

Remy simply nodded his head. He was out of energy and didn't feel like talking unless he had to.

"How familiar are you with Shi'ar security systems?"

"Fairly…" Remy raised his head slightly to look up at the man. "Why?"

Tor'kol moved behind Remy's chair and began to release Remy from his binds. "I am in need of a thief."

Remy's curiosity was piqued. And as exhausted as his body was, he couldn't help but give a devilish grin.

"Y' don' say."


End file.
